Bottle-stopper



v(Model.)

' O. LABES.

Bottle Stopper.

No. 242,543. Patented June 7,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LABES, OF LA FORTE, INDIANA.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,543, dated June 7, 1881.

Application filed March 14, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LABES, of La Porte, in the county of La Porte and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

The object I have in view is to produce a simple and efficient self-closing bottle-stopper and a convenient device foropening the bottle; and my invention consists in the peculiar con struction of these parts, as fully hereinafter explained, and pointed out by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the neck of a bottle having my self-closing stopper held in the same, the contrivance for forcing the stopper from its seat being shown in position; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same parts Fig. 3, a vertical section of the neck of a bottle, showing my stopper in elevation; Fig. 4, an elevation and partial section of the parts of the stopper separated from each other; Fig. 5, an elevation of the valve or stopper proper without the spring-arms; and Fig. 6, a horizontal section of same on line 6 6, the springarms being shown in the position they assume when the valve isforced inwardly from its seat.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in all four figures.

The stopper proper or valve is composed of a rubber washer, A, which is clamped removably between two blocks or plates, B G, by means of a screw, a, on the block B, which enters a screw-threaded socket, b, in the block C. The parts B and C are cast or molded witli the screw a and screw-socket b, respectively, so that no extra cutting of the screw-threads is necessary. By having the stopper or valve constructed in this manner therubber washer can be .readily replaced by a new one when worn out. When the stopper is in the bottle the parts can be separated by turning the springarms, about to be described. In this operation the rubber washer is pressed against the walls of the bottle at the lower end of the neck and prevents the part 0 from turning. When the blocks B and G are separated the washer and the block 0 fall to the bottom of the bottle, and can be easily removed by inverting the bottle.

The block B has an upwardly-extended eye, 0, through which passes a wire, forming two (ModeL) spring-arms, D E. These arms rise at d on each side of the eye 0, and lie in grooves c in the sides of the eye, and are bent outwardly at 6, so as to press on the sides of the bottleneck at or near its upper end and to rest clear of such neck below the upper end thereof, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. The ends f of the wire are bent toward and lapped past each other. These lapped ends give a strong and stiff support to receive the pressure which is exerted when the valve is forced inwardly to open the bottle. The spring of the arms D E draws the rubber washer to its seat and holds it there air-tightindependent of the pressure within the bottle. When the arms D E are forced inwardly the washer will be moved from its seat and the contents of the bottle will be allowed to flow out. The instant the arms are released they will draw the washer back to its seat. When the spring-arms are pushed inwardly they are forced toward each other somewhat, and theirlower portions d are pressed close into the grooves c and clamp the eye 0 between them. This holds the stopper proper centrally in line with the spring-arms, so that it cannot drop against the lower side of the bottle and cause the liquid to flow irregularly.

With my device, the stopper being supported rigidly in a central position, the opening is equal on all sides, and the liquid flows out in a regular stream.

The self-closing stopper may be forced inwardly and held off of its sea-t by any suitable contriva'nce; but I prefer for this purpose that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

F is a yoke, which is open on one side and fits the neck of the bottle. To this yoke are pivoted the ends of a forked lever, G, to which lever, a short distance from its pivots, are connected the lower ends of a bail, H. The bail H is provided at its center with a suitable hook or saddle, g, which engages when in use with the lapped ends f of the spring-arms D E.

When it is desired to open abottle the hook y will be caught over the ends of the springarm D E, and the yoke F will he slipped on the neck of the bottle, below the head of the same. The parts will then be in the position shown in the drawings. Now, by pressing the lever G against the bottle the stopper will be forced inwardly from its seat. This opening device can be manipulated with one hand, and the contents of the bottle directed at the same time into a glass. The opener will then be removed and can be used on another bottle. This contrivance for opening the bottles may be made of wire or plates, or (the preferred way) may be constructed of malleable cast'iron.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a bottle-stopper, the valve composed of cast blocks or plates B 0, having screw a and screw-socket I) cast therewith, and provided, further, with the eye 0, in combination with the spring-arms D E, made of a single piece of wire passed through said eye, substantially as described and shown.

2. In a bottle-stopper, the combination, with 

